


You Make Me Sing

by TheWayILie



Series: The Lone Songbird [1]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-10-11 09:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10462155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWayILie/pseuds/TheWayILie
Summary: Sara Ryder hadn't felt this nervous since coming to the Andromeda galaxy. Sure what she was about to do paled in comparison to many things that she did since coming here but still she could not get her heart to slow down. Her plan was working and he was about to arrive. With his family. She had mere minutes left to prepare now. I was fucking brave enough to travel across dark space to whole new galaxy, I have to be brave enough for this, she thought. Besides, this whole thing was her idea. She had to be ready. She heard Cora's voice from her omnitool."Ryder. They're here." Her time was up.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for the broken english here. I was really tired when I wrote this and I just needed to write it. I might edit it later but until then you'll have to forgive me. I hope you still enjoy it despite all the flaws. :)  
> Also while I made some changes, I do not own the song "The Only Exception". It belongs to Paramore.

 Sara had always been the one to hunt alone, the lone wolf. Sure she had flings, many of them, here and there but never something that lasted. She was always independent and proud that she never needed or wanted anyone. That had changed, however, the moment she laid her eyes upon the newest member of her crew.

A member of the new alien species they discovered, Jaal took the crown to be the most intriguing person she's ever met. Sara was just drawn to him in a way she could not, for the life of hers, explain. It wasn't his tall and broad frame nor his eloquent words and eyes that seemed deeper than the oceans. She had seen all of those qualities before. But she had never seen all of them in one person. It felt right and almost natural to fall in love with him. She tried flirting with him and even though she was terrible at it, she somehow managed to get her message through. It was surprisingly difficult for her. She was usually very good at flirting and getting what she wanted but then she had never actually cared about the results before. 

He took her to meet his mother and it took her everything she had to not show how nervous she was. In the end it didn't really matter. His mother probably would still have adored her even if she was an abomination as long as she made her son happy. He showed her his childhood room, his "tiny sanctuary. He showed her the schematics of a kett weapon his aunt gave him when he was 7 and his pet kaerkyn. Dead pet kaerkyn. "He died so I also to him apart." he said. She was not prepared for what came next. She knew that she was able to get message across with her awkward flirting but she never imagined that he might actually return her feelings. He told her that he wanted them to be together. "I'd like that!" was the only answer she mutter out and he laughed with joy and she laughed along with him and they shared chaste but sweet kiss. He then proceed to show her a star chart that he made long ago. He projected it to the walls and the ceiling and they watched it together, hand in hand. It was the most romantic gesture she's ever received.

She laid awake that night in her bed on the Tempest. So many things at once were keeping her from falling asleep. She thought about Jaal and everything they did together, everything he's done for her, and her heart and mind were filled with ideas and possibilities.  She knew she had to get rid of them somehow or she's never be able to sleep. He had told her that _she_ made _his_ heart sing. Little did he know that _he_ made _her_ want to sing.  She got out of the bed and walked towards her desk. She grabbed a pen, a paper and she started to _write_. She put everything down on that paper, her feelings, her fears, her everything and turned them into a song. This was the one thing about her that she never told anyone, not even her brother or Jaal. She wrote songs and sang them. She'd even had a few gigs back in the Milky Way. It was her way of venting, letting loose. She just poured everything she couldn't express, everything she couldn't say into her songs since she wasn't very good at expressing herself, and that's why they'd always felt so personal, like a diary. This song was different though. She wanted this song to be heard. She wanted _him_ to hear it. She knew she would never be able get her feeling across any other way. Not entirely. She felt too deeply for that. It was almost the ship's waking hour when she was done She looked at her final product. Now she only needed a guitar and a stage.

It wasn't easy to put it all together while keeping it a secret from Jaal. Now that they were together, he naturally wanted to spend a bit more time together and she did too but it was hard to find time between all the pathfinding and preparations. But through hard work and determination and the help of her crew, even though she was a bit reluctant to ask for help at first,she managed to rent a small bar/pub kind of place on Aya for one evening. With Liam's help, she installed the sound system and a small stage in there. She told Jaal that they were going to have small gathering of some sorts on Aya next time they're there and asked if he could attend. He happily agreed and asked if he could bring some of his family along since he was supposed see them at that time under normal circumstances and since Sara couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation why he couldn't bring them, she had to agree, which only added to her stress levels. Now she had to perform in front of an even bigger crowd. 

Sara Ryder hadn't felt this nervous since coming to the Andromeda galaxy. Sure what she was about to do paled in comparison to many things that she did since coming here but still she could not get her heart to slow down. Her plan was working and he was about to arrive. With his family. She had mere minutes left to prepare now. _I was fucking brave enough to travel across dark space to whole new galaxy, I have to be brave enough for this_ , she thought. Besides, this whole thing was her idea. She had to be ready. She heard Cora's voice from her omnitool.

"Ryder. They're here." Her time was up. 

Jaal, followed by his many family members including his mother, entered the only pub on Aya, where Ryder told him to come, only to find it dark and empty. 

"Are you sure this is the place, Jaal?" his mother asked.

"Yes, this is the place she told me to-" Then suddenly lights were on and pointing at the person standing on the far side of the room.

Sara scanned everyone's faces and almost sighed with relief to see that he didn't bring his _whole_ family. Then she realised they were staring at her and started to speak into the mic in front of her.

"Hi, uh, everyone! I hope you remember me from last time! The reason I gathered you all here is because I, uh, wanted to something special. For Jaal." She couldn't help but blush when some of Jaal's brothers teasingly hit him on the back and laughed. "And, um, since angara are... very close with their families, I figured it'd be nice if you all were here to see it, too." Jaal's mother looked like she was about to burst from happiness. "So here's the thing: I have never been good at expressing my feelings no matter how strong I might be feeling them and... what I feel for Jaal is... something special. Something that I've never felt before and I know I'll never be able to show just how deep my feelings go by mere words and actions, not really. So I've come up with another way I could express them. By the way, please take a seat!" They slowly settled down on the chairs, she and Drack had placed. Jaal was seated in the very front, next to his mother. For a moment she caught his eyes and gave him a nervous smile. 

She picked up her guitar and sat on the stool behind her, cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "I really do hope you all enjoy this and that this is by no means offensive in your culture. So. Hear goes." And she started playing.

 _When I was younger I saw my daddy cry_  
_And curse at the wind._  
_He broke his own heart and I watched_  
_As he tried to reassemble it._

Everyone fell extremely silent as soon as she started to sing. She couldn't tell from their faces whether they liked it or not but she _could_ tell they were surprised. Even her crew members , who were watching from the back rows.

 _And my momma swore_  
_That she would never let herself forget._  
_And that was the day that I promised_  
_I'd never fall in love, no matter what..._

 _But darling,_  
_You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._

 _Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul_  
_That love never lasts._  
_And we've got to find other ways to make it alone._  
_Or keep a straight face._

 _And I've always lived like this_  
_Keeping a comfortable distance._  
_And up until now I have sworn to myself_  
_That I'm content with loneliness._

_Because none of it was ever worth the risk. Until..._

_You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._

 _I've got a tight grip on reality,_  
_But I can't let go of what's in front of me here._  
_I fear you might leave in the morning when you wake up._  
_So please show me some kind of proof it was not a dream._  
_Oh-oh-oh-ohhh._

She wasn't sure if she could see correctly but she could almost swear she saw tears in Jaal's mother's eyes as she gripped her son's arm tightly.

 _You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._

 _You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._  
_You are the only exception._

_And I'm on my way to believing.  
Oh, and I'm on my way to believing._

There was a big silence in the room when she finished her song and for the first few moments she was worried that they didn't like it. Then suddenly she heard someone shriek, _shriek_ , with what she interpreted as delight. Jaal's mother jumped from her seat and threw herself on Sara. If it wasn't for her fast reflexes, Sara would not have been able to catch the angaran woman who was now hugging her with every ounce of strength that she had.

"You are a treasure! I've never seen anything like this! Do all humans do things like this for their loved ones?" shouted the angaran woman.

"Uh, no. Just me." Sara smiled at her.

"Well then, you'r-"

"Mother."  Both women turned to see Jaal standing there, waiting.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm sure you two want to be alone for a while. Come one everyone. Let go!" Then she proceeded to chase everyone, including the Tempest crew, out of the room.

Now that she was alone with Jaal, the nervousness from before returned with full impact. She couldn't think of a single thing to say. She opened and closed her mouth several times but still couldn't speak. It wasn't helping that he was staring at her. She probably looked like a tomato by now. It was getting more and more difficult by the moment to say something so she figured she had to start somewhere or they would be just standing there all night.

"So did yo-" But before she could finished she was crushed by another hug. "Oompf!"

"That... was the most beautiful gift I have ever received." And with that Sara felt so relieved and happy that she almost cried.

"Really?" She asked, her voice cracking because of the tears she held back.

"Really." He slowly caressed her hair as if to comfort her. "I simply wish it was a more private setting."

She blushed. "Yeah, well I couldn't think of a polite way to say you shouldn't bring your family without spoiling the surprise. But in the end I think it turned out really well. Your mother loves me now."

"She already adored you."

"Yeah but still." She shrugged and he laughed. 

She took him by surprised when she suddenly stepped back and took his hand. "I just really wanted to show you how much you mean to me. You told that I make your heart sing. You make my heart sing too. Just in a more literal way. And I... I just..." She looked at him. The look in his eyes were almost expectant, hopeful. "I love you, Jaal and I couldn't think of a better way to show just how much." 

"I love you, too, darling one. And I, too, cannot think of a better way." Neither of them could think of a single moment they'd been happier than they were at that moment. All they thought of was the love that they had for each other. The love that was yet to grow even more.


End file.
